INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR:
TOYS AND THE MATERIAL LIFE OF CHILDREN

Sept 24	Introduction & course requirements
Sept 29	The plan of the course Doing research and writing reports
Oct 1	Child play and leisure Reading: Nasaw, from Children of the city Chapters 1-2
Oct 6	Using library databases Guest lecturer: Elliot Kanter, Communication Bibliographer Meet at Geisel Library, Room 276
Oct 8-13	From work to leisure: The transformation of childhood Reading: Nasaw, Chapters 3-6
Oct 15	Assignment 1 due: Bibliography on your toy
Oct 15-20	A brief history of toys Reading: Cross, Kids' Stuff, Chapters 1-3
Oct 22-26	The form and shape of contemporary toys Reading: Cross, Chapters 4-8 Seiter, Sold Separately, Intro, Chapters 1-2 & 7
Oct 28	Assignment 2 due: Market profile of your toy
Oct 28-Nov 3	Presentations
Nov 5-10	Presentations
Nov 12	The toy industry Guest lecturer: Paul Eichen, President Rokenbok Toy Company, Carlsbad, CA
Nov 17	The independent toy store and the toy industry
Nov 19	Toy invention and development Guest lecturer: Mark Rappaport, Inventor California Chariots
Nov 24	Presentations
Nov 26	Holiday
Dec 1	Assignment 3 due: History of your toy
Dec 3	Toys and the future
Dec 8	Take-home final due, no later than 6 pm in MCC 209

This course is designed to develop research skills in the study of contemporary material life. The subject is playthings for children and how they have changed through history. Three assignments are required. The first is a bibliography of publications on your toy, from academic journals to trade publications. The second is a contemporary evaluation of the market presence of your toy. The third assignment is a report on the history and development of your toy to its present-day use. You will receive assignment sheets explaining what you need to prepare for your presentation. In addition to giving a brief presentation, you will need to make short copies of your report for distribution to students in the class. Each assignment is worth 20 points, for a total of 60% of your grade.

There is no midterm, instead a comprehensive take-home final will be given during finals week. The exam will draw from my lectures, readings and reports given by students in the class (their handouts will be important) and will count for the remaining 40%.

Readings

Three books are required:

Cross, Gary 1997. Kids' Stuff: Toys and the Changing World of American Childhood. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Nasaw, David 1985. Children of the City: At Work and At Play. New York: Oxford University Press.

Seiter, Ellen 1993. Sold Separately: Parents & Children in Consumer Culture. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

My office hours for this course will be Wednesdays from 10-12 in MCC, Room 209. Other than coming to see me, the best way to reach me is by e-mail at cpadden@ucsd.edu.